I Don’t Like Mondays

I Don’t Like Mondays
by Spennie & Dave, July 12 2010

Finally got to do some sailing Monday at Leo. It was de-tuned 6.5 for me, but perfectly powered, perfectly even, sunny & beautiful, Dave Freeman & I were jammin’ around, even caught a small wave once. 20 minutes in SNAP! about 3/4 mile from shore, right above the boom. Dave helps me de-rig and takes my boom, and I paddled/swam my gear in for about 1 1/2 hours, landing at “Zeros” (El Pescador?) beach, about 2 miles downwind from Leo. Dave picked me up & brought me back to the van. Spent all day yesterday in bed, woozy with exhaustion.

– Spennie

The rest of the story–

I was perfectly powered on my 5.2 and 75L board jammin’ around with Spencer.

We just jibed on the outside and I was trying to outrun his 6.5 on my wave sail when I heard a very loud SNAP behind me and caught the splash in my peripheral vision. After pointing as high as I could and sailing a figure 8, I arrived back at the scene of the carnage to help pack up the pieces.

We trashed the already thrashed mast, clamped the boom on my mast (full sized boom on a skinny mast-that works), rolled the sail up and promised to pick him up at the lower point. By this time we had drifted quite a ways downwind so getting back to the beach in one tack with a 26cm fin and an extra boom towing Leo grass required max pointing ability. On the beach while derigging, I was able to get some help from the troops on the stairs to help spot a white speck on the swells and call the lifeguards for a possible tow. I made it down to the lower point about the time Spencer cleared the inside of the kelp bed. The county guards had been alerted by the state guards and were watching him on their binos. The rescue jetski arrived on a truck from Zuma when he was 100 yards off the beach so no rescue was required. He did get moral support from a guard on a paddleboard. He got back with all the extra pieces intact and tried to act like he had not just had his ass kicked by mother nature. Having been in that same situation, I am not surprised to hear that he spent the next day feeling beat up… but…in bed…woozy???!!!

And now you know the rest of the story. I had a perfectly great day sailing at Leo ruined by Spencer’s 10 year old Fiberspar mast! I have gone over to the RDM side and just had my reasoning reinforced by Spencer’s bad experience.

Remember– sailing with a buddy is more fun and safer. Always talk a friend into joining you when you skip work to sail.

– Dave